Using Disability Law to expand Academic Freedom for Disabled Researchers in the United Kingdom

We consider the findings of a study of the experiences of Postgraduate Researchers with Disabilities and explore how this relates to academic freedom. Drawing upon the provisions of the Public Sector Equality Duty and Indirect Discrimination within the Equality Act (2010), we note that a range of existing public policy practices, such as the operation of the REF, are likely to be in breach of these obligations. We recommend revisions to existing practice that speak more widely to the general concern of academic freedom, suggesting that a consideration of anti-discrimination law – rather than a purely intellectually focussed agenda – represents a pragmatic means towards shaping the inclusivity of higher education policy going forwards.     

A lesbian identity disclosure assessment: ALIDA instrument

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Disclosure of lesbian sexual identity has been associated with greater self-esteem, less anxiety, and greater relationship satisfaction. Nondisclosure interferes with supportive, congenial, and intimate relationships with important people in their lives. Lesbian mothers choose nondisclosure to protect their children from social, psychological, and physical harm. Since disclosure is a health concern, ALIDA was designed to measure disclosure for lesbian mothers. METHODS: ALIDA is a written, self-administered instrument with 15 questions that fall under 6 categories. It was tested on 360 lesbian mothers from 38 U.S. states. RESULTS: ALIDA was one-dimensional, reliable (.79), and had face and concurrent validity. Regression indicated that 58% of the scores were predicted by eight variables. CONCLUSIONS: ALIDA measures disclosure and should be used in more studies.     

ALIDA-II: An Improved Disclosure Scale

Disclosure, or degree of “outness” has been recognized as an important measurement in lesbian and gay populations to provide better understanding of various health issues associated with disclosure. In 2008, A Lesbian Identity Disclosure Assessment (ALIDA) was created to quantify the daily degree of disclosure. Reliability for the instrument was adequate for both lesbians with and without children. It was recognized, through statistical analysis, that the instrument may be lacking an important concept that, when included, may raise the instrument’s reliability. Hence, the concept of “general public” disclosure was added to ALIDA-II, and the instrument was tested in a new study. Reliability for lesbians with and without children increased to ideal levels with consistent factor analyses and predictive variables on regression models. This instrument should be used widely, and although the instrument has been used in lesbians only, the use in gay men is now being tested.     

Building Pedagogical and Activist Relationships

As a white professor who teaches courses that deal primarily with the issue of race, the question of whether pedagogy and activism mix is ever present in my mind. The answer to this question is of course complicated and yet, I answer affirmatively. Drawing upon social movement theory and the central tenets of critical pedagogy, I argue that pedagogy and activism can work very well together in the classroom, but that my allegiance to a critical pedagogy does present some necessary constraints on my classroom activism.     

Child safety in policy: Who is being kept safe and from what?

Keeping children safe from harm is a national policy priority in Australia. Extensive inquiries and reviews have highlighted institutions' persistent failures to respond ethically and appropriately to child abuse and its life-long impacts on survivors. Policy efforts now reflect considerable emphasis on safeguarding children, including through the development of ‘child safe’ organisations. The realisation of these policy aspirations requires close attention to how ‘child safe’ is conceptualised and operationalised in different organisational contexts. Drawing on an analysis of policy in Australia and other international jurisdictions, namely New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland, this article engages critically with the notion of ‘child safe’ in policy, to explore who is to be safe, from what and how, in organisational settings. The findings suggest emergent discourses of ‘child safe’ are bound up with particular constructions of both children and safety, reflect current social and political understandings and agendas, and have implications for organisations' approaches to safety. Ensuring the safety of children in Australia and other jurisdictions requires continuing scrutiny of policy implementation to make sure current policy efforts are not reduced to compliance-based imperatives that protect organisations, but fail to create the cultural conditions that enhance children's wellbeing and safety.     

Examining First Date Goals across Different Types of Date Initiation

Abstract

Individual goals for first dates are examined in the context of requesting the first date, accepting a first date request, going on a blind date, and going on a group date in a sample of 211 college students. Results indicate that first dates are more likely to be group dates than blind dates or requested dates and those individuals on blind dates and group dates are less likely to endorse goals of having sex or investigating romantic potential than those who request or accept the first date. Results are considered using error management theory, cognitive valence theory, and stage models of relationships. The differences that emerge across the type of date initiation indicate the type of date initiation and are important in addressing courtship.